Police in Long An Province said on Monday that they had interrogated more than 20 people during the Tet holiday as they investigated the horrific murder of a local journalist last month.

Le Hoang Hung, a 51-year-old reporter of the Laborer newspaper, was reportedly attacked by an intruder who broke into his home in Long An, doused him with gasoline and set him on fire while he was sleeping.

After 10 days of treatment for burn injuries, Hung died at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on January 29.

The provincial police said they had found a lot of important evidence that could lead to the primary instigator of the crime, but they needed to carry out more investigations.

Hung's colleagues and friends have said that he'd had disagreement with his wife, Tran Thuy Lieu, over selling their house to settle debts.